Chapter 165: You have to listen to me carefully.

“I decide when you get rewarded or punished. So,”

I whispered into her ear.

“If you want to atone, keep crawling. Crawl like a dog and lick my feet.”

“…Okay.”

As if something clicked in her mind, she knelt before me.

Then she lowered her head toward my feet.

Seeing her like that was quite laughable.

If this was how it was going to end, why betray Park Siwoo in the first place?

Was Park Siwoo an idiot?

Come to think of it, Park Siwoo wasn’t entirely innocent.

This woman ultimately gave in to Kim Hyeongjin’s lower half.

If she was going to fall, at least let it have been equal.

“Are you really going to lick them?”

“If you want me to. I will.”

And then she really did it. ….. No pride at all.

Then it was time to make something clear.

I am not Park Siwoo—I’m Karina.

And I had something to say to this foolish woman who always crossed the line and couldn’t control her emotions.

“Park Siwoo, that idiot, no longer exists.”

“!!”

“Shh. I’m tired, let’s not bother each other. You know as well as I do. Before I was born, Park Siwoo was just a fool.”

“No, that’s not…”

This is getting tedious.

Let’s end it.

“What’s not true? You’re the proof. You claim to want to apologize to Park Siwoo, but here you are licking the feet of someone who no longer even resembles him. You betrayed him. That makes you the foolish one.”

To my surprise, she was crying.

Maybe that’s why I suddenly wanted to have this foolish woman.

This woman who desperately wanted to atone to the man she betrayed.

I wanted to take her completely away from my past self—Park Siwoo.

Only then would she understand how ridiculous she was and realize the difference between us.

That would be best for Park Siwoo too.

I stroked the cheek of Lee Siyeon, who had been licking my foot.

“Make it clear now. Will you spend your life atoning to the dead Park Siwoo, or serve me like your master?”

Her emotions had been fading more and more since meeting me.

Wearing away.

In other words, she was suffering as she submitted to me.

“Don’t you think you should give your all to the living?”

“I can fill that void in place of Park Siwoo.”

“…Karina.”

“Park Siwoo is dead. What you see now is Karina. You must atone to Karina, not Park Siwoo.”

Her eyes trembled violently at my words.

That was the answer.

She would no longer mention Park Siwoo.

She had acknowledged his death, and her emotions were nearly gone.

So.

CRACK!

I pulled out a black chain from my hand and drove it into Lee Si-yeon’s heart.

The black shackle embedded itself, and the chain that rose from her heart wrapped around her soul.

What an insolent woman.

A ridiculous one who kept projecting the dead Park Siwoo onto me.

She couldn’t even atone to the person in front of her and kept clinging to someone already gone.

I don’t remember much anymore, but I can say this for certain: Park Siwoo is a dark past.

“Kuheugh…?”

“If you want to keep crawling under me, with the heart of someone repenting for their past life’s sins—you must be bound by your soul.”

“Ah…”

“Devote your life to me. To Karina, not Park Siwoo.”

I am not Park Siwoo.

She must repent to me, not him.

And so, she became someone who could neither live nor die.

After all her suffering, she finally found a bit of peace, letting out a shaky breath.

“Well then. Since you said you’ll be my dog, maybe next time I can give you a small gift. I’ll invite you to my home sometime.

Until then, stay in North Korea.”

“…Okay.”

The returnees, annoyed with the whole Pyongyang ordeal, left either for their homes or guilds before even arriving.

Heartless bastards. I was about to leave too, when—

“Hey, Saintess!”

“Why’s this guy’s voice so shot?”

The propaganda leader appeared, his voice hoarse. It was ridiculous.

Even as a returnee, this was all he could manage?

It’s not like I overworked him.

All I made him do was incite the entire North Korean population and get the Chinese in Manchuria to cooperate voluntarily.

“Hey, have a conscience, will you?”

“I’m an angel.”

“Seriously, my throat’s wrecked. Cough drops aren’t enough anymore.”

His voice really did sound gone.

That deeply lowered tone? Like he’d gone past vocal cord nodules.

Kinda pitiful. But still kind of stupid.

He was a follower of the Goddess.

A revolutionary leader who gained power in the other world, and received her buff.

Which meant that voice would heal quickly if he just prayed.

He must know that, but he’s just trying to slack off.

Or trying to wheedle something out of me.

If he just finished his work, I’d let him rest anyway.

“Fine. Hmm, then…”

“Then?”

“Take the day off. It’ll get better if you just pray to the Goddess.”

“Are you a demon?”

What’s he saying?

He’s the one whining.

If he just prayed to our goddess, his throat would heal in no time.

Oh well.

I’m the ever-kind saintess, after all.

So, for a fool like this, I must grant him a trial — healing his throat myself.

“Oh goddess, please restore the revolutionary leader’s healthy voice!”

“Oh… oooooh… this is crazy. My voice came back?!”

Seriously, he didn’t know?

He really is an idiot.

More importantly, there’s something I need help with.

Perfect timing.

This dumb guy showed up on his own, so I can shamelessly order him around.

“Oh, right. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Why is his face already contorting when I haven’t even said anything yet?

Disappointing.

Anyway, this is important.

I need a solid foothold to continue influencing Western China.

I gently placed my hand on the revolutionary leader’s forehead.

Why does his expression look so offended?

So rude.

“Western China is still a bit unstable. So, could you go and stabilize the Chinese people there?”

“You little sh—”

Is that really something to curse about?

This is why they’re hopeless.

All my followers are insolent — except me.

Shouldn’t they do anything for the goddess?

“Anyway, your throat’s healed thanks to the goddess, right?”

So I’m counting on you.

The revolutionary leader’s face twisted into a wonderfully grotesque expression.

See, who told you to whine in the first place?

You just never listen.

“Well then, what should I do now?”

Since I’m in North Korea anyway, should I hang out with the Hero’s party a bit?

Or maybe summon the returnees back to Pyongyang for some fun?

As I was mulling it over, I got a text.

—I’ll be visiting your house today.

Huh?

What the hell kind of nonsense is this?

Why’s my aunt coming?

***

I rushed home.

My aunt was standing in front of the house with a terrifying expression.

Why did she come all this way looking like that?

She had something in her hand — must be here to give me something important.

“Hello, Aunt. Long time no see. But what brings you here?”

“Haah… You’re always wandering around and making me worry.”

Wandering around?

I mean… Also, could she not make that face?

“Worry? We talk on the phone from time to time. Isn’t that enough?”

“You think I don’t know all about the mess you’ve caused with that ‘Kano’ stuff?”

Ah, so it is about that.

Hmm.

“Well, uh… I mean, you’re not even my mom, so why are you so worked up?”

“No matter what form you’re in now, you’re still my niece.”

What’s with the sudden emotional speech?

“Look, niece or not, why are you messing up your niece’s hair like this?”

“Anyway. I brought some side dishes. Eat them. Looks like you’ve been going through a lot lately.”

“Ooh. Wow, this is so Korean. So Korean.”

Stir-fried eggplant, seasoned bean sprouts, braised short ribs, braised chicken… she brought a whole variety.

“Koreans should eat Korean food. Don’t you think?”

“This is the modern era, though. You don’t need that kind of stuff to grow properly, right?”

I tried to say more, but my aunt narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

Uh… this is dangerous.

Did I say something wrong?

Why are her eyes drifting to my chest?

Ah. Right.

My aunt’s flat-chested.

Is she seriously jealous of her niece at her age?

Her twisted expression is honestly scary.

Anyway, I let her inside.

She brought food, after all.

Would’ve been rude to just ignore her.

“This stuff actually suits my taste pretty well.”

I really do like the side dishes.

“Of course you do — it’s all the stuff you used to love. But do you really live alone in this huge place?”

“No, not alone. I live with two others.”

With Zashiki-warashi and the slave.

Well, the “slave” is a bit of a special case.

Now that I think about it, Zashiki-warashi seems to have hidden himself well.

Kids whining is annoying, but this one manages on his own.

That’s what makes raising precocious kids enjoyable.

Anyway, my aunt won’t stop talking.

She just keeps going on about her daughter — kind of annoying.

“It’s a shame. My daughter really misses you.”

“Oh, really? Then I guess I should visit a few times.”

Should I have already visited and made her one of my loyal followers?

Wait, no — if I had, my aunt might’ve come by more often.

That’d be a disaster.

It’s really unfortunate when my aunt shows up.

I just want to live my peaceful life, but the world seems determined to make that impossible.

—What nonsense from someone who’s supposed to be my follower.

Hmm.

Isn’t our goddess less my world and more like an adult toy I use for self-consolation?

She’s silent now.

Could she be… excited?

I love myself, but I can’t indulge in myself, so I use the goddess’s body for substitute satisfaction.

In some ways, it’s true the goddess is my world — depends on your perspective.

I’ve gathered a decent number of followers now, but this world — Earth — still demands labor from me.

—You’ve done nothing but work as my follower, and now you talk like this?

That’s that, and this is this.

Obviously.